Most of Jack London's stories are set in the outdoors. By using the outdoors as a backdrop, London offers a unique perspective to the story's themes and different character types. In "To Build a Fire," I believe that London uses the theme and character of a rugged, independent outdoorsman to show that, even though we may want to travel alone in the outdoors, we should always travel with friends or stay within our limits. He …showed first 75 words of 792 total…

…showed last 75 words of 792 total…the man had been traveling with a friend, then he most likely would have survived. In Boy Scouting, this idea of traveling with a "buddy" is taught in the first rank that a scout attains. The young scouts must know why to travel with a buddy and what to do if that buddy becomes injured. I believe that London is showing us that, no matter how invincible we think we are, the inevitable can happen.